French police suspect train derailment was sabotage

It was 7.45 p.m. when this train derailed. Windows shattered, sending stones from the tracks flying into the carriages. When the train finally stopped, at least one carriage was lying on its side. Investigators suspect that a rail fragment found on the track caused the accident and that it had been placed there deliberately. We know that another train traveled on the same track one hour earlier and that there was nothing there. And then there was a big metal bar on the track, likely a rail fragment. It was very heavy, roughly 300 kilos, from what the rail workers have told me. The discovery has raised fresh questions about how to protect France's railway network. There are on average 2,500 cases of sabotage against France's railway system every year. Most involve people stealing signaling cables, power lines and metal fences to sell them. In 2024, hours before the Paris Olympic opened, fires were started on four different lines to damage installations and disrupt traffic. France has used drones to try and detect sabotage on its long rail network, with limited results. There are 30,000 kilometers of tracks in France. It's difficult to secure the railway ahead of the train with cameras and radars because the obstacles must be detected at least one kilometer away. A regional train, which travels at roughly 150 kilometers per hour, needs at least one kilometer to be able to slow down and stop. The train's black box is currently being examined. Meanwhile, the driver, who was injured in the accident, tested negative for drugs and alcohol.